


What's Love, Anyway?

by ingthing (orphan_account)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Wedding Planner, Crushes, Dogs, Food, M/M, Mention of canon dog death, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 12:31:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9491054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ingthing
Summary: Yuuri knows his life has changed since Victor entered it three weeks ago. His family knows it, his roommate knows it.It's just Yuuri's own doubts that are weighing on his chest.Please see the new chaptered posting of this AU for updates!





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a longer one!
> 
> After writing about Victor on the job, I wanted to write more about Yuuri!
> 
> Not beta'd.
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> [I drew something for the Macaron scene!](http://ingthing.tumblr.com/post/156606042437/the-macaron-scene-from-whats-love-anyway-part)  
>  **
> 
>  
> 
> Also! I'd like to thank y'all for your support for this AU! I've gotten lots of people sending me amazing art and fic for it, and I plan to make a blog page for it all, but here are things you should check out if you want more:
> 
>   * [@kastiyana's](http://ingthing.tumblr.com/post/156418844747/kastiyana-a-vikturi-watercolor-from-the-beautiful) lovely watercolor drawing
>   * [@ricepumpkin's](http://ingthing.tumblr.com/post/156488204257/ricepumpkin-based-off-of-a-few-scenes-from) drawings based on [A Welcome Visitor](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9443045)
>   * [@britt_chow's](https://twitter.com/britt_chow/status/824837392527978496) drawing, also based on [A Welcome Visitor](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9443045)
>   * [@waffletopkai's](http://waffletopkai.tumblr.com/post/156481958156/i-drew-a-scene-from-a-floristwedding-planner-au) drawing of Yuuri from [Of Dahlias and Deadlines](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9422387)
> and last but not least, 
>   * [minorseventh's fic, Osmosis by Proximity](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9465257), examining Phichit and Victor's revelations when Phichit stumbles upon Victor eating cornflakes on the couch in their apartment one fine morning!
> 


It's been three weeks since Victor Nikiforov barreled into Yuuri's life.

He came in one day with an outrageous order, asking that it be delivered in under twenty-four hours, and Yuuri had delivered.

It had been a rough week for their business, so Yuuri knew they needed the job. It had taken an all-nighter and the collaboration of his entire family to complete. They even pulled the Nishigoris in from next door; Yuuri is glad that their neighbors (and long-time family friends) are so good-willed. They completed the order, had Yuuri rush it down to the cathedral, and could breathe easier that night, looking at their account books for the week.

The following week, the magazine article applauding their arrangements for Khloe and Brad's wedding was published, and Victor began dropping by with more orders, now thankfully with reasonable time frames.

Two weeks ago, Yuuri would never have expected the frequent afternoon visits in which Victor, attractive heart-shaped grin adorning his clean-shaven face, would breeze past the door of his family's flower shop and perch on the stool at the counter like it's meant for him.

(It is, but Victor doesn't need to know that.)

Victor doesn't stop by every day and it only makes the quiet moments, like today, quieter.

Yuuri slouches, no customers there to see it at the odd post-lunch break hour, and he rests his cheeks in his hands with both elbows propped up. He's already gone over their inventory twice, and his parents and Mari are in the back or the rooftop garden preparing the next day's orders. There's nothing for him to do but scroll through his barren facebook feed and sigh.

His phone buzzes on the counter, yet another notification from his roommate popping up. Yuuri considers Phichit one of his closest friends, but even Yuuri draws the line at "liking" _every_ social media post he makes. He's pretty sure that's an inhuman feat, Phichit posts so often.

Yuuri opens the post anyway. The dog videos Phichit uploads are always a welcome saving grace from slow work days.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri's loud exhale when he enters his and Phichit's apartment overpowers the noisy slam of the door, and Phichit looks up from the sofa with a curious blink.

"Hey Yuuri," He calls around a bite of food, crumbs falling from the corners of his mouth. "Rough day?"

Yuuri shakes his head, kicking off his shoes and shedding his hoodie. "Nah, it was just long. Had another taste test at work?" Somewhere in their year and a half sharing an apartment, Phichit had fallen into the habit of eating whatever culinary travesty he'd happened upon at work leisurely on the sofa in the evening. Whatever Phichit's "pop culture and lifestyle journalism" job entails, Yuuri doesn't really want to know after being subjected to the odd food combinations it produces, but he's glad his friend seems to enjoy work.

At the question, Phichit lifts a flimsy donut box from the coffee table. "They _always_ have extra! Dunno why. Today was fusion donut day."

Donuts do sound good to Yuuri right now, and he peers into the box with some interest. He's met with the sight of several questionably decorated donuts.

"Is that thinly sliced beef and cilantro on top of that one?" He frowns, confused.

"Oh, that's a phonut."

"A _what_?"

"A phonut. You know, like pho? But as a donut!" Phichit explains, as though the combination of noodle soup and a donut makes perfect sense. "There's like, jellied pho broth and chopped up rice noodles inside it. Wanna try?"

Yuuri doesn't, so he shakes his head with a weak smile, looking up from the donut box and feeling his hunger dissipate. "I'll stick to yesterday's pizza, thanks."

He really should eat, so he goes over to the fridge, plonks a slice of the leftover pie onto a clean plate, and sinks into the seat next to Phichit on the sofa. Yuuri's always preferred cold pizza, so it's no surprise to Phichit when his roommate takes a sizeable bite. A few moments of quiet chewing and observation later, Phichit swallows loudly and sits up.

"Ahh, I can't take the suspense any more!" He whines, tossing the remnants of his donut back into the box melodramatically and turning right to Yuuri. " _Nothing_ happened with that guy you've been talking about from work? You have to keep me updated, it's in our roommate agreement!"

It really isn't, but Yuuri lets his plate rest on his lap and he drags a hand down his face, ready to make a fool of himself yet again. "I told you, he doesn't come in _every_ day. And besides, he's just a regular customer."

"You wouldn't be gushing over him if he were just any regular customer," Phichit notes, waggling his eyebrows.

"So I said his eyes are nice _once_. Lots of people have nice eyes."

"Yeah, but not that you usually _notice_." Narrowing his eyes, Phichit points out. "If I notice someone has nice eyes, you're usually all 'oh, I guess' and go back to your phone and look at more poodle pictures or whatever." He moves his hands around, voice mimicking Yuuri's speech pattern. "And he comes by so often. You really don't think there's anything _more_ here?"

"Well, sometimes, he comes by with coffee, but—"

"He buys you _coffee_?" Whistling, Phichit leans back, propping an elbow up on the arm of their sofa and resting his head on one hand with an incredulous look. "Yuuri, I'm sorry, but... There's a limit to how dense you can be."

"— he's a wedding planner. Our jobs kind of go hand in hand, so it makes sense he's around so much." Yuuri finishes, with a shrug. "Besides, I'm sure he just wants to make sure we have a good business relationship. It's not unusual to bring people coffee if you want to be better friends with them."

"Yeah, but it sounds like he wants to start _another kind_ of 'relationship.' He doesn't bring coffee for anyone else, right? There's four of you back there." Phichit is almost vibrating with tension in his seat, and Yuuri simply offers a smile.

"I'm behind the counter most of the time, so there's no way he'd know that." He takes another bite of pizza.

"Yuuri, dude. He _totally_ _wants to ask you out_." Phichit pauses and gasps, "maybe he already _has_ and you're just too stubborn and dense to realize!"

The prospect makes Yuuri splutter on his mouthful, and he swallows it quickly, turning to Phichit with a scandalized look, light blush rising on his cheeks. "There's no way that's happened. This guy is _light years_ out of my league!"

Leaning back and crossing his legs on the coffee table, Phichit twines his hands behind his head.He grins wickedly, knowing he's won the conversation. "Oh, so you've _thought_ about him that way?"

Yuuri groans and covers his face, and Phichit pats his silly roommate on the back. "Hey," he consoles, taking another bite of his egg tart donut, " _plenty_ of people find love through the workplace! You just gotta-"

"Ignore my family in the background, show unprofessional customer bias, and slack off during work?" Yuuri interrupts. Phichit was always the more outgoing, opportunistic one in their friendship. "I'm not flirting at the shop."

"But how else are you going to find _true love_?" His roommate says in dismay, clenching a fist in the air dramatically. "Your entire life is work."

"And yours isn't?"

"I'm a _lifestyle journalist_. That at least has the word 'life' in it!" Phichit retorts, poking Yuuri's cheek. "Whatever. You're gonna come crawling back to me saying I was right all along when you guys start dating."

"Okay, Phichit." Yuuri dismisses, standing and heading to his room, pizza in hand.

"I'll even plan your wedding!" Phichit calls back, just as Yuuri eases the door closed. "It'll be the _best ever_!"

Yuuri pokes his head out the door-frame, wearing an incredulous look as he deadpans, "thanks, Phichit."

He lets the pizza plate clatter onto his desk and he falls into bed, burying his face in the pillows with a drawn out sigh.

These conversations are never good for his heart.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri trudges into work the next morning feeling fatigued from the simple weight of the previous night's conversation. He hadn't even allowed himself to think about it, choosing to occupy himself with the mobile MMORPG he's been playing on and off, but it feels like a stone in his chest nonetheless.

His parents usually take care of the morning prep, affording Yuuri an extra two hours of sleep, and he's grateful for it this morning. But later starts mean later ends, and Yuuri is _not_ looking forward to the long shift ahead.

Around three, Victor saunters into the shop.

"Hi, Yuuri," he lilts, placing a fancy looking paper bag on the counter. Yuuri looks up, blinking the drowsiness from his eyes, and sits straight, greeting him in reply.

"H-Hey." Yuuri smiles, hoping he doesn't sound as tired as he feels. Victor tilts his head to the side in a motion Yuuri's learned means he's noticed something.

"Yuuri, did you not sleep well?" He asks, looking concerned. "You've got dark circles."

Yuuri's hand flies up to feel the skin under his eyes, and he frowns. He never could see things clearly in the bathroom mirror without his glasses. Taking said glasses off, he looks down embarrassedly, rubbing the lenses with the microfiber cloth he keeps in his apron. "Are they that noticeable?"

"I'm just observant. They're really not that prominent." Victor assures, waving his hands in supplement. He turns his attention to the paper bag he'd brought, reaching into it and pulling out a paper box. He pushes the now empty bag to the side, making sure it folds flat, before opening the narrow box to Yuuri and revealing a row of vibrant macarons inside. "Do you like sweets?"

"Huh?" Yuuri slips his glasses back on, blinking owlishly down at the box.

"Well, we got a lot of these from a client who runs a pâtisserie, but we can't finish them at the office." Victor explains, putting the box down in front of Yuuri. "I thought you might like to have some."

"You couldn't finish them, even with a teenager there?" Yuuri asks, taking the leftmost macaron from the box.

"It might come as a surprise, but of all the sweet things Yuri likes, macarons are not among them." Victor chuckles. "Actually, I've been thinking this for a while, but it's a little confusing to refer to him as 'Yuri' when I'm talking to you, isn't it? Your names sound the same." Victor holds his own chin in thought.

"I don't mind," Yuuri shakes his head. "Names are names, and I know you're not referring to me."

"Yurio!" Victor snaps his fingers, looking up at the ceiling as though looking into his own mind. He nods decisively, and Yuuri raises an eyebrow in confusion. "I'll call him Yurio around you from now on."

Yuuri doesn't know where the nickname came from, but he laughs at the thought of the teenager's reaction to this development. "Don't do that, he'll hate it _and_ me!"

"Nonsense! You're the older one, after all. You have seniority privilege. And how could anyone ever hate you?"

Falling silent at Victor's last question, Yuuri hopes his ears aren't as red as they feel. How is he supposed to respond to something like that?

Sensing the other man's confoundedness, Victor takes a macaron himself, and holds it up to his mouth with his thumb and index finger. "Try them," he encourages, referring to the treat still in Yuuri's hand. "They're very good."

Yuuri looks down at the milky brown macaron in his fingers, and pushes the memory of the stomach-churning macarons Phichit had brought home a month ago out of his mind as he takes a bite. The rusk gives away crisply between his teeth, and the dark chocolate ganache sandwiched inside melts on his tongue immediately. So macarons could be like _this_? Yuuri sighs around the mouthful, mm-ing happily at the rich cocoa taste.

Victor's chewing his own raspberry-red macaron happily, v-shaped smile returning as he watches Yuuri's reaction to the food.

Yuuri savors the taste a little longer until he's struck with an idea.

"Hey, Victor," he asks, putting the macaron onto a tissue from the box on the counter, "do you want some tea? To go with the macarons." He clarifies, to Victor's wide-eyed surprise. "It's nothing fancy, but we have some black tea."

Victor's eyes soften, and the biggest grin spreads across his face as he nods. "That would be lovely." He puts his own macaron down and watches as Yuuri disappears into the back room of the store.

Taking the two nicest mugs he can find from the small kitchen area against the back wall, Yuuri drops tea-bags into them and fills them with hot water from the boiler they keep there. His own mug is the novelty one Phichit got him for Christmas, but he grimaces when the 8-bit heart on it turns red with the heat of the beverage inside. He tries to push the thought of hearts and love out of his mind as he returns with the tea.

It's a little hard to, with Victor looking radiant against the warm backlighting from the shop windows. It's worse when Victor _looks_ at him, smiling again when Yuuri puts the mug on the counter.

God, he kind of wishes Phichit was _wrong_ last night. If he was, then Yuuri wouldn't have to deal with this gurgling anticipation.

"Thank you," the unfairly attractive man across Yuuri murmurs, taking the mug between his hands. His macaron is gone, and Yuuri picks his own back up, biting a small chunk off and letting it sit on his tongue before sipping some hot tea. It's rejuvenating, and Yuuri feels some tension leave his shoulders.

"Wow, you can drink really hot things," Victor remarks. His own mug is still sitting on the counter. "I need to wait for things to cool, or else I burn my tongue."

"I'm pretty sure it's just years of having piping hot miso soup every morning that got me used to the burn." Putting his mug down, Yuuri replies. He laughs when Victor picks his own drink up and gives it an experimental taste, only to recoil from it, mouth agape.

"Ah, hot, hot, hot..." Victor winces, blowing across the liquid in an effort to cool it to a drinkable temperature. His eye catches on Yuuri's mug, and he peers at it curiously. He points to it and looks back up to Yuuri. "Is that a video game heart?"

"Oh, this?" Yuuri looks at his mug. "Yeah, it is. It was a gift from my roommate."

"It's cute, I like it." Victor puts his cup back down. "I did a video game inspired wedding, once. Quite an unusual request, but we did research and we made it happen."

"That sounds interesting. I wonder what it was like," Yuuri murmurs.

"Would you like to see?" Victor pipes, retrieving his rather large phone from his pocket. As he navigates to his photo library, Yuuri shuffles closer, leaning across the counter to see the screen. A small thumbnail of brown dog catches his eye, and he taps Victor on the shoulder, stopping him from navigating away.

"Is that a _poodle_?" Yuuri inquires, pointing to the album cover.

Victor instantly lights up.

As if Victor hadn't already piqued Yuuri's interest, of course he'd be a poodle person. Of _course_ he would be.

"Yes! That's my dog, Makkachin." He opens the folder, revealing over a thousand pictures of a beautiful silver-beige poodle. "She's a standard." Scrolling down to the most recent photos, Victor opens up the latest one and offers his phone to Yuuri to swipe through. Yuuri takes the phone, almost mesmerized by the dog onscreen.

"Wow," He murmurs, looking through the many photos. A lot of Victor's photos of Makkachin are taken someplace with wooden floors, or sleeping in a cushy looking dog bed. The further back in the album he goes, the more is revealed of Victor's pet, pictures of Makkachin in grassy parks and out on the streets beginning to pop up. Victor must really love his dog, to have this many photos.

"She's getting a little old for walks, and has some joint problems, but Makkachin's been around for a long time." Victor explains, the earlier they go in his dog photos.

"I'm a little envious," Yuuri admits, handing the phone back to Victor. "We used to have a toy poodle- a brown one, named Vic-chan."

"Oh?"

"He was named after a cartoon character from a Japanese show Mari and I liked." Yuuri explains, flushing when he realizes his old dog's name sounds suspiciously like the first syllable of Victor's name. "He died a couple of months ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Victor comments. "But if you would like to meet her, I can bring Makkachin to the shop once it gets a little warmer."

"Are you sure?" Yuuri tries not to seem too eager at the prospect, but Victor seems to catch the twinkling of his eyes. He smiles, nodding surely.

"Absolutely. I'm sure Makkachin would love to come by on a short walk. She's a people-pleaser." Victor winks, putting his phone onto the counter. "I'm always glad to meet another poodle enthusiast."

"Me too," Yuuri agrees. "My roommate's into hamsters, so I don't have anyone to talk about poodles with."

"I can recommend some good instagram profiles too," Victor grins, clicking into the app quickly. "Assuming you use it, that is."

"Phichit, uh, my roommate, made me get it. I'm always open to more dogs, though." Yuuri declares, taking his own phone out. They compare instagram feeds and laugh when they discover they follow some of the same accounts, and they both come away from the exchange with some new gems to follow, as well as each others'. Yuuri protests that he doesn't post much onto his own instagram, but Victor shakes his head and follows anyway.

"This has been a great afternoon," Victor brings up, after glancing at the time on his phone, "but before I forget, there _is_ a new wedding I'd like to place orders for."

Yuuri nods, sliding his phone back into his apron pocket and grabbing a new order form. "Alright, give me the details."

Once the order is filled out and Victor bids Yuuri goodbye, insisting that he keep the remaining macarons and share them with his family, Yuuri notices the sky is changing colors outside and the sun is beginning to set.

It's not unpleasantly quiet in the flower shop as Yuuri gathers the mugs and washes them in the back room sink, propping them on the drying rack. It's like Victor's visit cleared the air and dislodged the heavy weight that had been on Yuuri's chest the entire day. He pulls his hoodie on after handing the macarons off to his mother and taking two for himself and Phichit, putting them in a sandwich bag and tucking them securely into his jacket pocket. He cups one hand over them so they don't get crushed as he boards the train, letting the hum and jostle of the subway roll off his back all the way home.

There would be no massive sigh as he enters the apartment today.

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on tumblr [@ingthing!](http://ingthing.tumblr.com/) I'm also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ingthing) under the same username.
> 
> You can see [the **art** I've drawn for this AU on my tumblr!](http://ingthing.tumblr.com/tagged/florist-au)  
>   
> 
> 
> In case you missed them before, check out this other great content by other users based off this au!
> 
>   * [@kastiyana's](http://ingthing.tumblr.com/post/156418844747/kastiyana-a-vikturi-watercolor-from-the-beautiful) lovely watercolor drawing
>   * [@ricepumpkin's](http://ingthing.tumblr.com/post/156488204257/ricepumpkin-based-off-of-a-few-scenes-from) drawings based on [A Welcome Visitor](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9443045)
>   * [@britt_chow's](https://twitter.com/britt_chow/status/824837392527978496) drawing, also based on [A Welcome Visitor](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9443045)
>   * [@waffletopkai's](http://waffletopkai.tumblr.com/post/156481958156/i-drew-a-scene-from-a-floristwedding-planner-au) drawing of Yuuri from [Of Dahlias and Deadlines](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9422387)
> and last but not least, 
>   * [minorseventh's fic, Osmosis by Proximity](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9465257), examining Phichit and Victor's revelations when Phichit stumbles upon Victor eating cornflakes on the couch in their apartment one fine morning!
> 



End file.
